Architectural design - planning crisis!

Thank you very much so far. Of course, also for the laughs ;) We had already thoroughly considered the second residential unit. We have a total of three children and almost all parents, who partly live in oversized residential units with various ailments. But when the almost foreseeable cases occur, there are hardly any free rental apartments in the area. Later on, there will also be the chance to swap residential units with the children. Because if my husband were to fall from the ladder or run away with the neighbor, I would not want to live alone in 170 sqm, detached, and opposite a forest.

Wow, the architect really got to unleash his creativity there ;) I would have first asked about the statics. Or I would have already bailed at the cost of the chair. But that’s not the topic here for now.

OKI - from today’s perspective, of course clear. But if a budget has been set, does one then have to think about the feasibility within that framework themselves?

I don't really know which Kongresshallen mezzanine inspired the architects there. Or was it the terrace of an ice cream café, cantilevered hanging over the Alsterbank?

OMG- you made my day:)

as if I were to slap a Guggenheim Museum extension onto an 80s concrete employment office

How cool!

What did you give the architect to work with for the design? Or how did you imagine the result? Are there any references?
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My basic idea was to create a usable attic by raising the knee wall. I also had various ideas for that and still think that you can design a rather narrow, tall house wonderfully. The architect somewhat drastically rejected that and preferred an extension solution. In fact, I had no idea at all for this variant because there are actually very few references for extensions on a slope and in this situation, which I find rather awful.

OKI- from today's perspective of course clear. But if you have set a cost framework, do you then have to consider the feasibility within this framework yourself?

Yes!! Because you have to pay the invoices that the architect causes. The architect is not spending his own money. Of course, there are different kinds of architects. Maybe yours is very good and has prepared the costs transparently, then it's fine. But I would never rely on that with these sums. Also common is the question of whether the architect's fee is already included in the cost framework or not. The more extravagant a design is, the more difficult the cost planning, because the tendering of the trades follows much later, and beforehand only rough estimates are made. If the architect miscalculates, it may be too late to call everything off. Currently, prices are rising extremely fast.

Just take a look at which retaining walls in the house need to remain and then rebuild the walls completely. It could be that you save yourself the extension. If the roof needs to be replaced anyway, then a raised knee wall would definitely be a good idea. That way, the daughter can get a nice duplex apartment (I love those). Oh, and if you’re concerned about childcare as you get older: don’t count on the kids staying with you. I now live 500km away and my parents will have to move in with me then. I’m not going to go through the trouble of rebuilding everything there with kid and kin. Just build the house as accessible as possible for yourselves. If you become so frail that you need care, the house will be too much anyway and you can comfortably look for assisted living nearby the children. If the family still wants to move in with you, you can always remodel the house and really tailor it to the current needs. To avoid leaving your daughter out in the cold, you could give her start-up capital for a condominium as already suggested, or Madame will probably just find a rental place like her siblings.